Many kinds of image forming apparatuses that use a consumable product container have been known. For example, an ink jet printer uses a number of ink cartridges that contain different color inks from each other, or an integrated ink cartridge that contains different color inks. An electrostatic copier uses a toner cartridge as a consumable product container. The ink cartridges and the toner cartridges are expected to be recycled. So the used-up consumable product containers are collected and refilled with the ink or the toner in a recycling factory, or the collected containers are disassembled to sort out the parts according to their materials. The recovered materials are used for forming new containers. Also a cassette containing recording paper is used as a consumable product container in the image forming apparatus. The cassette includes a type capable of reloading the recording paper as a consumable product, and a type incapable of reloading the recording paper so the cassette of this type should be changed as the whole with a new one.
Such an image forming apparatus has recently been known that uses the consumable product container, and has a battery as a power source. The image forming apparatus mounting the battery is also made compact and handy, so that it is portable and usable everywhere.
As the battery, a fuel cell attracts attention as it scarcely pollutes the atmosphere, and coverts energy at a high efficiency. The fuel cell is a power generation device that generates electric energy by chemical action between hydrogen and oxygen. There are many kinds of fuel cells: solid oxide fuel cells that use oxide ion conductive solid electrolyte and whose operating temperature is about 1000 degrees centigrade, phosphoric acid fuel cells that use phosphoric acid solution as an electrolyte and whose operating temperature is about 200 degrees centigrade, molten carbonate fuel cells that use molten carbonate as an electrolyte and whose operating temperature is about 600 degrees centigrade, polymer electrolyte fuel cells that use solid polymer as an electrolyte and operate at the room temperature, and so on. These fuel cells are supplied with fuel such as hydrogen, methanol, gasoline, natural gas and DME (dimethyl ether).
Among these fuel cells, the polymer electrolyte fuel cells are noticed as preferable for use in a mobile apparatus, as it is small and light, operates at the room temperature, and achieves a high energy density. Among the polymer electrolyte fuel cells, direct methanol fuel cells is superior in view of the facts that they do not need a reforming device for reforming hydrogen, and that they generate power by supplying liquid methanol directly to electrodes, because methanol is easy to handle and inexpensive. So a study of using the direct methanol fuel cell as a power source in a mobile electronic apparatus is being made. Also a printer mounting the fuel cell has been known for example from Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No. 2004-122750.
The most advantageous feature of the fuel cell is that it is unnecessary to charge it, but it has only to replenish the cell with the fuel when the cell runs down. However, there is concern about how to carry the fuel around for use in replenishing the fuel cell, as well as where to sell the fuel for replenishment. Besides that, if the fuel for replenishment leaks while it is being carried around, it can be dangerous and pollute the environment. Encasing the fuel for replenishment safely enough can raise the packaging cost.